When Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice fell, an eerie silence enveloped the entire conference room.
In the corner, Naruto, the Anbu wearing a tanuki mask, stood quietly, not showing any extra emotional fluctuation. His gaze pierced through the mask's holes, landing on the indignant old man at the head of the table.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's anger didn't seem feigned; that resolute determination to protect a comrade, that stance of not hesitating to oppose everyone, was chillingly real.
Yet, precisely because it was so real, it appeared incredibly false.
Naruto's mind raced.
How could a Hokage who was just moments ago preparing to settle accounts with Danzo, even willing to abdicate for it, completely reverse himself within minutes? Acting? Impossible.
Even with the most superb acting, he couldn't fool all the eyes here, especially Nara Shikaku's.
This wasn't acting; this was... a twisted will.
A forcibly implanted will that didn't belong to him.
Naruto's gaze subtly swept over Danzo Shimura, who stood to the side, his lips already betraying a faint upward curve. Especially his right arm and right eye, tightly bound in bandages.
Only the Genjutsu of the Uchiha Clan could achieve such a feat. And it had to be a top-tier Genjutsu, capable of instantly controlling a Kage-level expert silently and under the noses of so many masters.
The answer was almost singular.
Sharingan. And, it was the Mangekyo Sharingan.
"Third Hokage-sama, you..." Nara Shikaku's voice was dry.
He tried to find even the slightest flaw on Hiruzen Sarutobi's face, but he failed.
All he saw was an undeniable, mad obsession. This made his heart sink little by little.
The situation was a hundred times worse than his worst-case scenario.
The utterly chaotic scene left him unable to think of any clear solution for a moment.
The other clan heads and Jonin present also snapped out of their initial stupor, their faces a mix of confusion, anger, and a hint of fear.
They didn't understand, but they could feel that something incredibly terrible was happening.
The atmosphere in the conference room shifted from solemn to tense and volatile.
A surge of wild joy welled up in Danzo's heart.
It worked! Kotoamatsukami, Uchiha Shisui's strongest Genjutsu, truly didn't disappoint him! Monkey, you were still one step behind!
You thought you had everything calculated, but you didn't expect I still had this last trump card!
He cleared his throat, stepped forward, and stood shoulder to shoulder with Hiruzen Sarutobi, adopting a posture of profound sorrow yet forced to bear a heavy responsibility.
"Hiruzen, you don't need to say anymore. I understand everyone's doubts."
His voice echoed in the silent room, carrying a false composure.
"This so-called investigation report is malicious, intending to split Konoha, and its intentions are punishable by death! I, Danzo Shimura, have dedicated my life to this Village, walking in the darkness, bearing infamy and sins you cannot imagine, all for the sake of protecting this leaf above our heads!"
He surveyed the crowd, his gaze sharpening: "Indeed, some methods may not be glorious. But for the Village's survival, necessary sacrifices are unavoidable! I am deeply pained by Sakumo Hatake's death, but he abandoned his mission for personal honor, shaking the foundation of Ninja rules. I cannot tolerate it, but I absolutely did not frame him!"
"As for Orochimaru, he was a junior I once valued. I tried to guide him back to the right path, but unfortunately, I failed. These are all my 'sins'!"
"Now, Konoha is plagued by internal and external troubles, and it needs a strong leader to guide everyone out of this predicament! Since Hiruzen trusts me, I, Danzo, will not shirk this duty!"
He spoke with stirring passion, as if he were the wronged hero. Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded heavily beside him, completely his most loyal supporter.
This absurd scene almost made Nara Shikaku and the others laugh in anger.
Just as Danzo was about to further elaborate on his "New Konoha Order," a figure hidden in the corner moved.
Naruto walked to the window, and slightly raised his arm, making a unique gesture. This was the signal he had agreed upon with Karsten.
[Target confirmed, preparing for purification shot.]
Almost simultaneously, atop a clock tower two kilometers from the Hokage Building, the blond man lying on the ground clearly saw everything happening in the conference room through his scope.
A cold, encrypted electronic voice came from the walkie-talkie beside him.
"Order received." Karsten's voice was devoid of emotion. He adjusted his breathing, his finger gently resting on the trigger.
"Political Commissar, you need to draw him out a bit more. His current position isn't good enough; I can't aim for his brow."
Inside the conference room, Danzo's speech continued.
Naruto, however, no longer paid attention. He slowly raised his hand and placed it on his mask.
"Bang."
With a soft sound, the Transformation Jutsu was dispelled, and the white smoke cleared.
The inconspicuous tanuki-masked Anbu disappeared, replaced by a young man in black combat fatigues, with blond hair and blue eyes.
Naruto stood there calmly, yet instantly became the center of the entire storm.
"Naruto?!"
"Why are you here?!"
Kakashi wasn't present, nor were Asuma and Yuhi. Among those present, besides a few clan heads, many didn't immediately recognize the young man whose appearance had changed so drastically and whose aura had become calm and sharp.
"Since Hokage-sama insists on his judgment, then I... can only overstep my authority."
Naruto's tone was cold. His azure eyes stared directly at Danzo, devoid of anger or hatred, containing only a pure, chilling killing intent.
"The trial of the traitor begins now." He enunciated each word, as if pronouncing the final verdict, "And I will carry out the execution."
The moment his words fell, the smugness and arrogance on Danzo's face froze, replaced by extreme shock and fury!
"Brat, you're asking for death!"
He finally realized that from beginning to end, this was all a trap! A trap more vicious and deadly than Hiruzen Sarutobi's! He was exposed; Kotoamatsukami might have controlled the Hokage, but it also made him stand in the open, a living target!
Without the slightest hesitation, Danzo flashed away from Naruto, violently tearing off the bandage from his right eye. A scarlet three-tomoe Sharingan was embedded in his wrinkled eye socket, filled with an ominous aura.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Great Sphere!"
He instantly completed the hand signs, opening his mouth to unleash a high-pressure wind bullet powerful enough to slice through the entire conference room. Chaos was his only way out!
"Danzo—!"
A furious roar, filled with extreme grief and indignation, erupted from the crowd. A Jonin in his fifties with a scar on his face, his eyes bloodshot, lunged forward.
He was one of the survivors who had carried out the mission with Sakumo Hatake back then, and also White Fang's most loyal admirer, just not targeted by Danzo.
"You sinner who killed Sakumo!!"
He didn't use any Ninjutsu, but simply put all his strength into it, like an enraged lion, slamming into Danzo.
This sudden attack completely disrupted Danzo's rhythm. He instinctively dodged to the side, and his Wind Release was interrupted as a result.
It was this momentary shift!
"Whoosh—!"
A supremely sharp whistling sound, tearing through the air, came from the distant sky. Almost at the instant the sound rang out, the conference room's specially reinforced glass window shattered with a "crash" into a shower of fragments!
A specially processed bullet, spinning and whistling, ripped through the air!
Due to the Jonin's collision, Danzo had just managed to evade the bullet aimed at his brow.
"Pfft!"
The bullet missed his head, instead piercing his left shoulder. A spray of blood erupted, and the immense kinetic energy sent him stumbling back a few steps. The intense pain forced a grunt from him.
What kind of attack was this?!
A familiar fear surged through his heart, Danzo's mind was in turmoil, no time to think, the strong will to survive overwhelmed everything.
"Earth Release: Earth Dragon Evasion!"
He slammed his hands onto the ground, and his entire body instantly turned into a puddle of mud, merging into the floor, disappearing without a trace.
Everything happened in a flash.
From Naruto's appearance to Danzo's escape, it was merely ten seconds.
In the conference room, only the shattered window, a glaring bloodstain, and the middle-aged Jonin who had fallen to the ground from overexertion remained.
Danzo escaped.
Almost at the same time he vanished, Hyuga Hiashi, who had been silent, moved. He took a step, instantly appearing beside Hiruzen Sarutobi, and with fingers like a sword, he touched the Third Hokage's nape.
"Release!"
A gentle Chakra flowed in, precisely severing the cold, alien Chakra that had been entrenched in Hiruzen Sarutobi's brain.
"Ugh..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi swayed, the madness and obsession in his eyes rapidly fading, replaced by a blank stare, followed by overwhelming shock and lingering fear. He remembered everything that had just happened. He remembered how he had defended Danzo like a clown, and how he had uttered those words that twisted right and wrong.
The feeling of powerlessness and humiliation from having his body and will controlled by another made him shiver.
"Danzo..." His lips trembled, his face ashen. The last shred of illusion for his old friend was completely extinguished at this moment. What remained was only endless disappointment and cold killing intent.
"Hokage-sama!"
A white-haired figure appeared in the center of the conference room with a Body Flicker, it was Kakashi Hatake, who had arrived late. Beside him, eight Ninja dogs of various sizes crouched.
"Hokage-sama, why didn't you notify me?!"
Pakkun, the lead dog, sniffed the blood on the ground, then immediately looked up and said to Kakashi: "Kakashi, the scent is very fresh, no mistake. He went underground, the smell of blood is strong, he must have fled towards the 'Root' base."
Naruto walked to the shattered window, the cold wind rustling his blond hair. He looked in the direction Danzo had disappeared, his eyes eerily calm.
"Kakashi-sensei," he ordered without turning his head, "You and the Ninja dogs are responsible for tracking and pinpointing his exact location."
Then, he pressed his hands together.
"Summoning Technique!"
With a "bang," a larger burst of white smoke erupted than before, and three warriors, dressed in the same standard combat fatigues as Karsten and wielding various special weapons, appeared in the room. They knelt on one knee, their movements perfectly synchronized.
"K-Squad, awaiting orders."
Naruto turned around, his blue eyes sweeping over everyone present, finally settling on Hiruzen Sarutobi's pale face.
"This time, he won't be given any chance to escape."
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